by Katie Reus
“Vega!” Gabriel shouted somewhere near her as she slammed into the earth.
Pain punched through her at the impact, but she rolled to her side and saw that he was next to her. As long as he was okay, she could deal with anything.
Ignoring her discomfort, she jumped to her feet and held out a hand, even though he didn’t need it. Taking her hand, Gabriel stood—completely naked—and looked her over from head to toe. But in a clinical fashion. “Are you hurt anywhere?” he demanded.
“Fine. You?”
He nodded and turned away, surveying their surroundings.
“Where are we?” she whispered, very aware of her own nudity. Above them the hole had closed and their clothes had scattered everywhere. There were lights overhead, like the little moon and star stickers kids put on their ceilings. It wasn’t wildly illuminating but it helped so she could see enough of the open space. She knew about Hell realms but wasn’t sure they worked like this. But her knowledge was limited on stuff like that, so that didn’t mean anything.
Gabriel didn’t respond as he slowly turned around in a circle, taking in their surroundings.
She followed suit, frowning at their prison. How could the earth just open up, then close again? It couldn’t, that’s how. Not without help. “It’s clearly a cave of sorts. Is this a Hell realm?” She whispered. She knew he’d been to them before.
“I…don’t think so.”
Okay, that was really helpful. “Well what do you think this is?”
Another rumble started and an opening appeared before them in one of the walls. A rough doorway.
“Come to me,” whispered a female voice.
“Did you hear that?” Vega asked as the melodic voice from her dreams filled the cavernous space.
He nodded once.
She hadn’t gotten a chance to tell him about her other dream. “Before Carson got in my head, I had a strange dream. Or vision. A female voice talking to me. Not insidious like him, but…powerful all the same.”
He started gathering their clothes as he said, “What did the voice want?”
“Ah…for me to set her free.”
He gritted his teeth as he handed over her jeans and sweater. “Fucking awesome.”
* * *
Mira heard a wolf howling in the distance even as she felt her sister reaching out to her.
Again.
Prima wanted to fully awaken, to come out of Hibernation. Mira and her sister were different than other dragons. Just as their brother was. They had all been hatched. The only dragons in existence still alive that had been born that way. The others like them had long since passed. As far as she knew, anyway.
It meant they had more gifts but that came with a price. At least that was the way Mira viewed it. Millennia ago she’d felt as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Figuratively. Too much power meant responsibility, and her sister Prima had not been able to deal with it. She’d grown tired of humans, exhausted with their pettiness. And she’d started that tilt into madness that had claimed so many of their kind. Especially the originals.
Prima had refused to go to sleep alone, too afraid to sleep without Mira. Prima had never actually said those words, but Mira had known. And she’d been tired of the world as well. The only thing she regretted was leaving behind her brother. Sweet Dragos.
But she’d known that Arya would be there for him even if Mira had relentlessly tested the little dragon. She’d known he would be okay. And it turned out he was more than okay. He was blessed beyond measure with a family of his own.
She stepped out onto the front porch of her little cabin, sending out a psychic push to her sister again. Trying to urge Prima to stay put. To keep sleeping.
The earth shook underneath her—Prima’s response.
Mira reacted without thinking. Adrenaline surged through her as her wings exploded from her back in a rush. Instead of fully shifting, she just let her wings out and jumped up. Her muscles twinged at the vertical jump before she found balance and soared through the trees, maneuvering her way through the narrow openings until she watched in horror as…a huge split in the ground closed up.
“What the hell just happened!” Judoc shouted, his gaze narrowing in on her as she landed a few feet in front of him.
Behind him half a dozen of his packmates raced up in wolf form. None of them shifted like he had.
Standing there naked, he glared at her.
Looking back at the disrupted spread of earth, she pulled her wings in closer to her back, but didn’t bother shifting back.
It was time to tell the truth. Or at least part of it. “I believe that was my twin sister who caused the earth to split. She might be trying to awaken from her Hibernation but cannot. I simply don’t know. What exactly happened?”
“The ground opened up and my cousin and Vega fell through before it closed over them. Are they dead?” Each word was whiplash sharp.
As Mira shook her head, her frown deepened. “No. But I don’t know what she’s doing. She might have wanted Vega. The female is unique. At least her scent is. Perhaps it’s her blood.”
“She’s a hybrid. Her father is a wolf and her mother a bloodborn vampire.”
Mira sucked in a breath. That explained the unique scent. She hadn’t realized that shifters and vampires even mated.
He must have read her expression because Judoc said, “As far as I know she is the only hybrid in existence. Perhaps there are one or two others. But it is not common.”
“My sister might have wanted the girl, then.” Perhaps for Vega’s blood…it might have an effect on the binding spell.
“How can we get to them?” he asked.
“I don’t know that you can. I know my sister is sleeping underneath the earth.” They had gone to sleep together. But Mira had woven a spell around Prima after she’d gone into Hibernation, ensuring that her twin could not awaken first. It had also contained a binding spell, connecting her to the earth. But her sister was very powerful and was clearly fighting it—and using her link to the earth to create the rumblings. Given more time, who knew what she might accomplish.
“Can you help?” he demanded.
“Possibly. Why were you out here?” It was far too late for all these wolves to be out and there was a wrongness to the air. She scented the stress of all the wolves around her. Maybe it was simply because of what had happened but she needed to be sure.
He let out a short curse. “We’re chasing after a rogue, a packmate—former packmate.”
Her lips curled up in disgust. “The one named Carson?” It was the only wolf from his pack she didn’t care for. He’d only recently returned to the pack. Her dragon wanted to burn him to a crisp.
His gaze narrowed. “Yes.”
“Which direction did he go?” She could take to the sky and easily track that little shifter down.
“Toward the clearing about fifteen miles west of here. You know the one. I’ve seen your claw marks in the earth. There might be a helicopter on the way to pick him up.”
It took her a moment to think about what a helicopter was. She’d been devouring books since she woke up and his pack had introduced her to a lot of modern culture, including television and movies. The majority of what she’d seen was utter garbage but it was certainly an education. “I believe I can stop a helicopter. Is that what you wish?”
He blinked once, stunned by her response. “Don’t let Carson off this territory. Will my cousin be okay?”
She nodded. “I believe so, and there’s nothing you can do now. I can retrieve Carson and be back faster than anyone here.”
Judoc nodded once and turned back to his wolves. “Continue hunting him!” Then he turned to Mira. “Bring Carson back if you reach him first. Preferably alive. The pilot.” He shrugged. “I don’t care what happens.” Sharp, brutal words. “Stopping the helicopter and Carson’s escape is your priority.”
Because no one had a right to infringe on an Alpha’s territory.
“I’ll
meet you at the clearing,” he snapped, before turning and shifting.
Without pause, Mira allowed her dragon to fully take over, her clothing shredding as she completely shifted and soared high through the trees. Wind rolled over her, a multitude of scents filling the air as she reached the treetops.
Filtering out everything in a way that was second nature, she focused in on Carson’s scent. Of all the wolves in Judoc’s pack, she knew this male’s. It offended her on a primal level so it was easy to track.
She could beat the male to the clearing—and all the wolves—with no issue. Wolves were fast, but dragons were faster. At least she was. She was curious why Judoc wanted him hunted down, but not curious enough to ask why. Something was wrong with Carson, and at one point in the last couple days she thought she’d felt him trying to push at her mind.
Her camouflage fell into place like a second skin as she flapped higher and higher, the wind rolling over her as she shot into the night sky.
She heard the rustle of wolves racing far beneath her. They ran in little packs from various directions. Clearly Judoc had put out a call to all his sentries to converge on the male. And Carson was a fool to think he could escape this powerful pack.
No, this male would not likely get away even if she hadn’t been here. But she owed Judoc many favors for allowing her to remain on his land when he hadn’t been obligated to. It was clear he was a smart, fair Alpha and did not want bloodshed. And if he’d tried to force her off this land, there would have been bloodshed, unfortunately. She had little patience for playing games and politics.
Long ago, she hadn’t known any wolves who would’ve been quite as civilized or pragmatic as him. They would’ve hated the very fact of a dragon or any other type of shifter encroaching on their land.
There! She could hear the erratic heartbeat of a lone wolf racing through the forest. His breathing was wild and out of control.
At the same time she heard a strange sound in the distance. Whop. Whop. Whop. It had to be the helicopter. At least that was what it had sounded like on one of the movies she’d watched.
Ignoring the running wolf for now, she banked northwest ever so slightly and headed in the direction of the helicopter. Such strange contraptions.
And that was when she saw the dark smudge against the sky coming her way. Her vision was excellent, and the closer she flew she realized that yes, it was indeed a helicopter. She didn’t see any weapons harnessed to it, like on the action movies she’d watched. Even if it had weapons, she was virtually indestructible.
It was a very good thing that it was a near full moon tonight because she wanted the pilot to see her. She allowed her camouflage to fall, knowing that the moonlight would glitter off her huge jade wings and body as she flew directly for the helicopter.
Opening her mouth wide, she released a stream of bright orange fire high into the air, illuminating her even more. This was definitely for effect. Sometimes she liked to play with her prey. She simply couldn’t help it.
The helicopter jerked sharply to the left and…completely lost control as it spiraled downward. If she’d been in human form, she would have laughed. The pilot must not be very trained if the sight of her made him lose control so quickly. She’d hoped for some pushback. Pathetic.
Flying straight for the spiraling contraption, she slowed her descent at the last moment and reared up, grasping onto the top of it with her claws.
The little blades hit her skin and broke off with a creaking snap under the impact. Instead of letting it crash and burn, she continued her flight to the clearing and slammed the contraption down with a thunk before landing next to it.
Nudging it with her nose, she saw that the pilot was definitely dead, given the odd angle of his neck. Her work was done here, at least.
Now she had a bad, bad wolf to catch.
Chapter 17
“How long has it been since you’ve fed?” Gabriel asked quietly, his gaze pinned to Vega’s. She was strong, he knew that. But she’d been psychically attacked and now they’d been tossed into this…hole, with seemingly no way out. No good way anyway. Because that doorway? No thanks.
She started braiding her long black hair, her fingers moving deftly, expertly, as if she’d done it a thousand times. “Ah…I don’t remember. In New Orleans. Maybe a couple days before I graduated. I’m okay.” Finishing the braid, she tossed it over her shoulder.
He looked around again at their surroundings. The stark cave with strange little lights overhead. Something told him they were going to need all their strength to get out of here and he wouldn’t miss a little blood. “I think you should drink from me.”
“Ah…” She glanced away and in the dimness it was hard to be certain, but it looked as if her cheeks were flushed.
“What?” He took a step closer, closing what little distance was between them. The scent of her was overwhelming, heady.
She looked back at him. “I feel weird drinking from you when I’m…attracted to you. It’s always been a business transaction type of thing. Almost always with humans.”
There were some humans who knew about their kind, and even if there hadn’t been, there were other ways to go about getting blood. “Whatever’s going on,” he said, slightly motioning around them, “isn’t good. We need to be at full capacity.”
Nodding, she stepped closer, looking nervous.
Yeah, welcome to the club. He should have offered his wrist—sanity told him to offer his damn wrist. Instead he bared his neck. A dark, primal part of him wanted to feel her teeth piercing his skin, to feel the pull of her drinking from him. To have her pressed up against him, wrapped around him.
He’d never let a vamp drink from him before. Had never even considered making himself vulnerable like this to anyone. Ever.
But Vega was different. Vega was his. Even if she would never actually be his.
She stepped even closer and placed her long, elegant fingers on his shoulders. “I can just drink from your wrist,” she whispered. In the dark cave, her violet eyes seemed even brighter, more alluring.
“I want your mouth on my neck.” A harsh, guttural growl. God. He should be clawing his way up the interior of the cave, digging his way out for all he was worth. Instead, he was standing in front of Vega, desperate to feel her mouth on him. He’d never felt like this about anyone and knew he never would again.
She made a strangled sort of sound and nodded, the scent of her lust slamming into him with the force of a dragon.
Leaning forward, she brushed her lips over his throat. His heartbeat pounded out of control at the feel of her breath feathering against his skin. When she gently flicked her tongue against his neck, he forced himself to remain immobile, even as his body immediately reacted.
Fuck.
He should have just given her his wrist. Not done…this. His erection strained against his pants but he closed his eyes and kept still as she struck, her teeth piercing his skin.
Instead of pain, all he experienced was pure pleasure as she began pulling blood from him. A harsh groan filled the air and he realized it was him. Before he could stop himself, she shifted closer, grinding against him even as she groaned against his neck.
Oh, God. They needed to stop. He should do…something.
But she hoisted herself up and wrapped her legs around him. Double fuck. Reaching around her, he grasped her ass as she continued drawing from him, drawing blood and grinding against him in a simulation of fucking.
All he wanted to do was shred their clothes, to push deep inside her, to mark her with his come, inside and out. He wanted his scent all over her. To mark her, claim her, let the whole damn world know that Vega was his.
Suddenly she pulled back and he felt the loss throughout his entire body. Breathing hard, he opened his eyes to find her watching him intently, her eyes heavy-lidded with lust.
“You taste amazing,” she murmured, her tongue darting out to lick a stray drop of blood.
He zeroed in on that little flick of
her tongue and a shudder stole through him at the knowledge that now a piece of him was inside her. He wanted more than just this, but he’d take what he could get.
Because he felt crazed and desperate around her. He’d been holding back for so long, keeping his distance, trying to keep that wall erected between them. Now…everything was all fucked up. He’d changed his entire life to avoid ending up back in this territory and here they were.
He wasn’t sure who initiated it, but he crushed his mouth to hers at the same time she moved toward him. They were already as close as possible, their bodies tangled and writhing against each other.
They couldn’t do more than this. Just kiss. And… He backed her against the nearest wall, hated how rough it was. She deserved silk and softness.
She didn’t seem to mind and he wasn’t strong enough to stop this.
This wasn’t for show, for anyone else but them. For her.
He cupped the front of her jeans and pulled back slightly. “Let me give you this.” He couldn’t get the rest of the words out, but his meaning was clear enough.
She nodded, her expression as wild as he felt. “I want everything from you.”
Her words made all the muscles in his body pull taut. Swallowing hard, he snapped open the front of her pants, slid his hand down the front and cupped her mound. This female was everything he’d ever imagined, ever wanted. They might not be able to mate—to do that, they’d have to have sex and he’d have to bite her, mark her as they came—but…God, he was giving himself a pass right now.
Screw it. He didn’t care. He needed her to come. Needed to feel it, at least around his fingers. Later, and there would be a later because they’d get out of here, he wanted to taste her too.
Simply touching her was like setting off an explosive device. She jerked against him, her breathing erratic as her fangs descended again.
“Bite me again,” he demanded as he began slowly teasing her clit.
Her eyes glowed as she dipped her head to his neck, pierced his skin. He had no idea what drove him to demand it, but he loved the feeling of being connected to her. Craved it after just one bite.